Category: Tablets

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is announced and will be available in Q2. The new Tab S3 now comes with the S Pen for even more versatility. Yes, it is like the Apple Pen.

Capturing Ideas On The Go

The Galaxy Tab S3 features an Improved S Pen that feels and works like a real pen. Featuring an elastomer 0.7mm pen tip with industry-leading sensitivity that recognises 4,096 levels of pressure and a slide-proof 9mm comfortable and stable grip, the enhanced S Pen grants users a more natural handwriting experience. It resembles a full sized pen which would allow you to quickly jot notes on the go with Tab S3. By incorporating some of the best ideas from the Samsung Galaxy Note series, I think it provides for a useful added dimension to the stagnating Android tablet market.

Users can quickly and easily bring their ideas to life whenever inspiration strikes, by simply using Screen Off Memo and pinning the memo to Samsung Notes, all without unlocking the screen. Consumers also have the option to pin their memos to the Home Screen and view it whenever they want.

Keeping notes, sketches and drawings organised is now easier than ever with Samsung Notes. With the addition of specialized brushes for Chinese calligraphy, watercolour, and oil drawings – users can mix different colours and quickly switch between brushes and pens to express their artistic talents.

With the Smart Select function, users can use the S Pen to easily create and share GIF animations while the Air Command functions, such as Magnify and Translate, allow users to hover their S Pen over an image or word to zoom in or even translate languages. Air Command also allows users to annotate PDF files with the S Pen so they can add notes directly to the document with ease. For added convenience, users can access their favourite apps in an instant just by tapping on a shortcut via the S Pen while the new Glance function allows users to minimise one app in the corner should they need to refer to information from another app.

New Tablet, New Specifications

If you watch a lot of shows on your tablet, and I am sure there are many, you would be pleased to know that the new Tab S3 comes equipped with Quad Speakers tuned by AKG by HARMAN for a premium listening experience, allowing users to enjoy multi-channel audio on-the-go. With its auto rotate stereo capabilities, consumers will be able to hear rich sound from the corresponding speakers based on the device’s orientation.

For the first time in Samsung’s tablet history, the Galaxy Tab S3 sports a Metal and Glass finish – a signature of Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The look and feel of the reinforced glass is complemented by scratch-resistant, anodised AL5000 series aluminium for enhanced durability.

Out of the box, it runs on Android Nougat. It runs on a Samsung Exynos chip (seems to be the same as the Galaxy S7) with 4GB ram. Storage is 32GB but allows for expansion with a microSD. The display is on 9.7-inch QXGA Super AMOLED display the Galaxy Tab S3 offers users an immersive viewing experience. The Galaxy Tab S3 also features a 10bit HDR video playback so consumers can enjoy a wide range of stunning HDR videos with richer colours and greater contrast.

For times when a pen is not good enough, there’s a new Samsung keyboard accessory that uses POGO pins. It’s similar to the iPad Pro keyboards too.

Local Pricing and Availability

The Galaxy Tab S3 will be available in Q2 2017 in Black and Silver with both Wi-Fi® and LTE versions at major Consumer IT & Electronics stores, Telecommunication Operators, Samsung Experience Stores, and Lazada Singapore.

Zenbook Flip is Asus’s method of combining convertible 2-in-1 with their high-class Zenbook laptop range. Asus ZenBook Flip UX360UA is their one of the latest attempt at creating the perfect convertible and it is one of the most powerful convertibles around.

Specifications

Unlike the previous Zenbook Flip UX360CA which runs on Intel® Core™ M3 CPU, the review UX360UA unit is running on an Intel® Core™ i7-6500 CPU along with 8GB DDR3 RAM and 512 GB SSD to ensure the snappiest performance.

13.3″ QHD LED IPS screen sounds like the sweet spot for convertible laptop size. The only concern with the glossy screen is that it’s highly reflective under strong sunlight and it might not be the perfect device to be used outdoor. On the other hand, based on indoor usage experience, this is by far one of the best screen display I have seen with its high resolution and vibrant colour. I would personally prefer a matte display for future models.

Zenbook Flip UX360UA are surprisingly thin without sacrificing all the major ports that are still being used in the current 2 in 1 convertible market. UX360UA comes with combo audio jack, a USB 3.1 TYPE C port, two USB 3.0 ports, SD card slot and an HDMI port

The trackpad on the UX360U is on par with Macbook standard in terms of size & comfort. If you are worried about accidental click you are able to disable it via the keyboard command.

On the other hand, the backlit keyboard is surprisingly pleasant to use and well laid out with enough travel between keys.

On the other hand, the hinge on my review unit got a minor issue that the screen moved when you are using the touch screen on few different angle. You may wish to take note on your unit if you are interested in using it in table top mode.

Battery life on UX360 is decent like the majority of the Thin & Light laptop in the market, I used it at a local Starbucks for 3 hours and the battery went down from full battery to around 60%. Do note that I was using it to stream Spotify, watching Youtube videos & web browsing. If you are using it for basic web browsing and document editing purposes, you should be able to stretch the battery life to a longer duration.

Available now at all major IT outlets, with the price starting from S$1,598.00 for i5 model to $1,898 for the i7 model, it’s not the cheapest convertible we see around but it is one of the most powerful convertibles that can fulfil most of your needs on the go. For those who are budget conscious and does not require the top performance on the go, you may wish to consider the intel core M3 model UX360CA with a slightly different design that is also available right now at a cheaper price.

The ASUS Zenpad 3 comes in at the size of an iPad Mini, and includes a default 4G SIM slot for anywhere connectivity.

Now, the Zenpad 3 comes with a gorgeous high-resolution 7.9-inch IPS screen, and a relatively fast Snapdragon 650 paired with 4 GB of RAM. It’s perfect for watching shows, especially with the front facing stereo speakers. The only caveat, the tablet like the iPad Mini, runs on a 4:3 display ratio, which means black bars for most of today’s movies and tv shows. It’s a small annoyance, for the 4:3 ratio makes it otherwise great for reading published content, and also really comfortable to hold landscape and portrait. Worthwhile trade offs.

Logitech of late has been churning out devices with multi device pairing solutions, to cater to a new generation of millenials who use and respond on multiple devices. Isn’t it more convenient to use a full size keyboard to update your bosses via Whatsapp?(more…)

Iron Man landed in Singapore last night alongside three new Avengers-themed Windows 10 devices. Inspired by the iconic Avengers logo and the signature design motifs of Captain America and Iron Man, the devices come in iconic shells and at an affordable price range for the Marvel fanatics.

Priced from S$429, the devices run on Windows 10 and will be pre-installed with Microsoft Office Mobile apps for free. These devices will sport a series of custom wallpapers as well as unique Avengers icons that make the experience even more personal. Each device sold will also include a specially designed carrying sleeve or pouch.(more…)

Surface Pro 4 was announced last night and will be available in Singapore starting November 19. Pre orders for Surface Pro 4 will commence starting 7 October on the Microsoft Store. There will be a limited pre-order price period till 18 October 2015.

Courts, Challenger, Harvey Norman and Newstead will also be conducting in-store pre-order programs in the coming weeks. Please check in-stores for more information.

The new Surface Pro 4 is thinner, lighter, and also faster with Intel 6th Generation Skylake processors, but also more expensive. Last year Surface Pro 3 with i5, 128GB SSD was priced at $1,348. This year price of $1,488 sees a 10% increase.